Saladino expects spirited response

STUNG by a 19-goal defeat in round one, Heathcote cocoach Andrew Saladino expects a spirited response by the Saints in Saturday’s second round of senior footy in the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL.

The Saints will be on their turf at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve against Colbinabbin.

It’s first hit-out of the season for Colbinabbin which had a first-round bye.

As the Grasshoppers cooled their heels in round one the Saints were on the end of a 169-55 loss to Mount Pleasant at Colbinabbin’s M.J. Morgan Oval.

Saladino said Saints fans will be craving to see a strong response from their team.

“We were given a lesson in workrate and level of pressure you must have to compete, not just for a few minutes here and there, but every minute of a match,” Saladino said of the hit-out against Mounts.

Now in his fourth year as Heathcote’s coach, Saladino said the team did not have to look too far to gain motivation about bouncing back.

In round three of last season, Heathcote beat Colbinabbin by 101 points.

When they met in round 10 it was the Grasshoppers who beat the Saints by 26 points.

Both teams have changed markedly since then.

At Heathcote it’s now Saladino and Cheatley medallist Liam Jacques who team up as co-coaches.

A gun on-baller and sole captain, Jacques was one of Heathcote’s best against Mount Pleasant.

There will be many challenges for Heathcote against Colbinabbin which has welcomed Linton Jacobs back to the fold after coaching Marong to a premiership hat-trick in the Loddon Valley.

Among those Jacobs has brought to the Hoppers is brilliant full-forward Brandyn Grenfell who starred in two premiership wins for Marong and was with Nyah Nyah West United last season.

The versatile Matt Riordan is also back at Colbinabbin.